I've been watching an internet video of the entire performance, May 5, of Don Q with Oxana Skorik as Kitri and Ekaterina Kondaurova as the Driad Queen. In the dream scene there is a beautiful comparison to be made, Ekaterina Kondaurova with her marvelous long lines (some great attitudes) and Oxana Skorik's remarkable fineness. Also there is a 'delightful little creature' dancing 'Cupid'. Even Oxana Skorik, performing alongside her, seemed to be enjoying her presence. Does anyone know who she is ?

The best ballerina in the entire scene was that ballerina who danced Amor - Oksana Marchuk. She just lit up the stage with her radiance and wonderful personaliity, not to mention her exquisite dancing and interpretation.

Several current or former Mariinsky dancers are participating the 2013 Moscow Int'l Ballet Competition, going on now at the Bolshoi. Among them are Skorik/Askerov (duets division), Alexei Popov, Cheprasova, and Ernest Latipov, who is being highly lauded by attendees. All have advanced to the 2nd of 3 rounds. Finals: June 19. Good luck to all!

The first two Vaganova Graduation performances are now behind us, and June 22-23 will be the last two, with different programs. I have an initial review ready but no time to type it up now. Please stay tuned.

Yes the same Duato work that was danced last year was repeated this year. I personally would prefer to see 40 minutes of classical dancing in its place, given the caliber of Vaganova dancers but, it is what it is.

The performance on the 23rd has been cancelled and so now tomorrow, the 22nd is the last of 3 graduation performances.

I've been going back and forth between various video clips, Ulyana Lopatkina, Svetlana Zakharova, Oxana Skorik, Alina Somova, Olga Smirnova and even into another size category (smaller) Maria Shirinkina.

Ulyana Lopatkina has always been in my mind perhaps the ballerina of our age that could possibly qualify as one of the five or so greatest of all times, which would start with Anna Pavlova and Galina Ulanova.

So how could someone like Oxana Skorik compare with Ulyana Lopatkina ? This is not intended as any sort of a ranking. In my viewings, stage and video, it's Ulyana Lopatkina's limbs, her arms and hands, her legs and feet that are perhaps unequalled in their expressive beauty today. This is highly recognizable. In Oxana Skorik it is something much more subtle but becoming more evident from my viewing. It's her 'centering', the fineness and control of her 'torso' area. I'm not saying that she will ever be as great as Ulyana Lopatkina (or won't), but she does have this quality, among many others, that keeps me glued to her at the same time that I'm watching some of the greats of our times, starting with Ulyana Lopatkina.

There are several dancers that I group together while doing this, Oxana Skorik, Olga Smirnova (now at Bolshoi), Alina Somova and Svetlana Zakharova (now at Bolshoi).

There are two aspects of all their dancing that stand out for me, their Lyrical/Ethereal Grace and their Expression. It's probably the Lyrical/Ethereal Grace that I truly love. Is this what you might have seen in Oxana Skorik's Giselle, Catherine ?

All these ladies have wonderful Expression as well. This is probably what first attracted me to Oxana Skorik. Now I would say that it is her Lyricism that I'm really appreciating. The same with Svetlana Zakharova, who I feel has grown 'exponentially' in the last two years. Alina Somova is capable of Amazing lyrical beauty as well. I'll be very interested to see if she's grown even more when she returns. Olga Smirnova, probably a genius, seems highly expressive at the moment.

I continue to watch what I consider a parallel development of Oxana Skorik and Olga Smirnova. I wonder if some sort of Galina Ulanova/Maya Plisetskaya duality is occuring ? I'm extremely interested to see how Olga Smirnova will balance her Vaganova/Mariinsky lyrical beauty with her developing Bolshoi(?) sense of expression.

There is a video clip on the internet of Oxana Skorik's Swan Lake in May. It starts with the black swan, Odile, and ends with the white swan, Odette, Act IV. I generally don't focus on the black swan, Odile, performance, although the duet can be quite beautiful. In this case I think that Oxana Skorik has taken it to a new level of Elegance.

There are also some quick clips of her Giselle from a few weeks ago.

In all the recent internet clips she looks absolutely lovely and more beautiful and compellingly with each new performance.

There is also a video look at the newly returned Alina Somova in the Le Corsaire dream scene. She too looks more beautiful than ever.

Along with Ekaterina Kondaurova, these two remarkable ladies may well continue and expand the linear and refined wonderfulness of Ulyana Lopatkina.

Added comment:

Daria Vasnetsova is another who I've felt could be grouped here, but haven't seen much of lately. Several years ago at the Festival she gave an Outstanding performance as Myrtha from Giselle.

Catherine, I've been watching the internet video of Act IV from "Swan Lake" (May 17) with Timur Askerov over and over just for the *Pure Pleasure* of it. I can completely understand why you considered her recent Giselle with Evgeny Ivanchenko to be "….one of the most beautiful performances of Giselle ever!"

If we and they can somehow 'finesse' the demise of Rothbart, Act IV is really very beautiful.

Oxana Skorik just seems to get more *Poetically Dreamlike* with each passing day. Although I love the way that she can 'knock you out of your chair' with her remarkable expression, it is the *Delicate, Refined Loveliness* ,which is now so apparent in her artistry, that is so wonderful to me. This, for me, is the heart and soul of what ballet is about.

Although she is doing so many wonderful things -- and I do say * Wonderful ! * -- it is the fact they she simply seems to be *Gliding* that is most captivating to me for the moment.

And more continued viewing of Act IV from Oxana Skorik's May 17 video clip performance of Swan Lake shows her now using her highly impressive flexibility to very selectively highlight her airy loveliness. She can shoot dramatic thunderbolts with her physical expression, but here it is used in such a subtly effective way. She seems very comfortable with Timur Askerov. Her highlighting, both of motion and positioning, at times seems to go beyond perfection into poetic reverie.

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